MPUMALANGA police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has strongly condemned an incident in which an ambulance was allegedly stripped and the medical personnel were reportedly held hostage. The incident took place in Belfast on Sunday, 15 May.
It is reported that Emergency Medical Services received a strange call about a woman in labour at a farm near Belfast.
An ambulance, a VW Crafter, was then dispatched to attend.
At around 9.30pm, it is said that a follow-up call was received by the paramedics, where the caller asked to meet with the medical staff at a certain spot for directions to the scene.
Little did the medical staff know that this was an orchestrated robbery.
As the ambulance arrived at the place mentioned by the caller, two men wearing balaclavas are said to have then emerged.
The suspects allegedly held them hostage and took their cellphones before tying them up with cable ties.
The ambulance was reportedly driven to another place where five more suspects were noticed.
It is further reported that the suspects allegedly stripped the vehicle of its gear box, engine, two tyres as well as the battery.
The total estimated value of the vehicle parts stolen is about R300 000.
These motor parts were then loaded into another vehicle and surprisingly the suspects gave the EMS personnel their cellphones before they left the scene.
The victims later managed to alert their supervisor and
they were then rescued.
A case of robbery was reported and a manhunt has since been launched for the suspects.
Manamela spoke strongly against the suspects who carried out the robbery.
"As law enforcement officers, we will not allow a situation like this, whereby emergency workers will be hindered to carry out their duties by criminals. We will do all in our powers to bring them to book and they cannot escape the arm of the law," she said.
The police urged anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects to call Captain Tobias Mogadime at 071 353 6763 or CrimeStop on 08600 10111.
